Unexpected
by x-HotMess
Summary: People never plan for these sorts of things to happen. Lyric challenge response. Shane/Peggy
1. My Song

"This is stupid," Peggy pouted.

"I know," Shane sighed. "But just try to grin and bear it. It won't be that bad."

"That bad?" Peggy looked down her nose at him. "How can the audience believe that we're singing a love song when even we don't believe it?"

"Because people are stupid sometimes!" Shane groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "We're not writing the new 'Islands in the Stream' or anything, Peggy. It's just a song for Connect Three's second album, okay?"

"Fine," Peggy huffed, flipping her hair irritably. "But still I'm not writing a love song because I'm not in love with you, or anyone for that matter. I can't write something that's not me."

"But the label wants…"

"Shane, if the label wants you to sing a love song then get them to sign Mitchie so you can record _This Is Me_. But I'm not Mitchie and I'm not in love so _**I'm not going to write you a love song**_!"

"Alright!" Shane exclaimed in frustration. "Then what do you suggest?"

"We can cover an old duet," Peggy shrugged.

"Hmm," Shane responded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Peggy bit her lip and racked her brain for a classic duet that didn't have anything to do with love or relationships. Only one immediately sprang to mind, and a cheeky grin spread over her face as she sang softly under her breath. "Yeah we're gonna bop bop bop, bop to the top!"

Shane glanced at her in bewildered dismay, but once he realised she was joking, he cracked a wide smile. "For sure, Peggy, for sure."

They pondered over a few more ideas for covers, before ultimately deciding that they wouldn't be able to pull any of them off anyway.

"Ugh!' Peggy moaned, leaning back in her chair and throwing her ballpoint down in disgust. "This is hopeless. Music should not be this hard!"

"It didn't used to be," Shane muttered quietly, mostly to himself. Peggy sat up and leaned in closer to hear. "It used to be just me and my guitar and the truth. But everything I write today is so suppressed and overanalysed and hyper-produced that nothing I come up with is good enough anymore."

"That's not true," Peggy protested. "_I Gotta Find You_ and _Play My Music_ are great!"

"Yeah, but that was just raw sound, in the spur of the moment stuff. Wait until out producer gets his teeth sunk into it. I'll have to change words and rewrite bridges and it won't be my song anymore," Shane frowned and scribbled on his notepad so hard he tore through the top layer of paper.

"So don't let him do it," Peggy whispered like it was the simplest thing in the world.

Shane shot her a look of pity for her naivety.

"That's not how it works in this industry, Peggy," he sighed. "The label doesn't care about artistic merit or individuality. They care about album sales and merchandise. They care about what will increase their profit margin by the highest percentage."

"And they don't think that your music will do that?" Peggy's brow wrinkled trying to comprehend it all.

"Oh, they have no doubt my music can do that," Shane scoffed. "You know what our manager says to us before we play every show? 'You hear all those screaming girls, boys? That's the sound of money being made!' I'm pretty sure our fans will buy any old crap they put out."

Peggy's nodded along compliantly, but she still didn't understand why Shane couldn't just play his music if the label thought it would sell. She asked him just that.

Shane rolled his eyes. "Because they're not willing to take the risk and destroy the sound they've made for us. They'd rather take their chances with our cookie-cutter-popstar crap than try and fail with our new music. And they expect Nate, Jason and I to keep writing so they can compartmentalize it into something that will make them a turnover."

"That's horrible," Peggy gasped. She'd feel sick to her stomach if someone took her heart and soul and transformed into something that didn't even sound like her.

"I know," Shane grimaced. "That's why we're supposed to be writing a love song. Something that the fangirls can imagine we're singing to them, something that they can yell along to at the top of their lungs. Something that will make them fall to their knees and worship the ground we stand on. _**They need a new song like a new religion**_."

"What was that?" Peggy's head snapped up. "That was really good!"

"Huh?" Shane stared at her incredulously.

Peggy snatched away the notepad from under his elbow and picked up her pen, flipping over the inky, tattered page to a fresh leaf and scribbling madly on it while mumbling under her breath. "New… song… new… religion."

"Peggy, what are you doing?" Shane looked at the sentence that she had scrawled across the paper.

"I just thought they'd make some good lyrics," she shrugged, suddenly self-conscious about what Shane would think of her song-writing ability.

He frowned scrutinisingly, before appreciation dawned upon his face. "Yeah. That's good, Peggy. That's really good. You got anything else?"

She nibbled her lower lip in contemplation. "Um, yeah. Heaps. It's all a jumble of emotion in my head, but I don't know how to put it into words."

"Okay then," Shane sat forward excitedly, sensing they were onto something. "How do you feel about trying to express something you haven't experienced, like a love song?"

"It's like…" Peggy squeezed her eyes shut, trying to think of the right metaphor. "Like… I'm trying to do long division. The logic's there, but I just can't do the math."

"Great!" Shane nodded animatedly. "Get it down! Write it all out!"

Peggy grinned at the genuine enthusiasm in his voice, and immediately got to work, jotting down every sentence that popped into her head. Only when she reached the bottom of the paper did she look up and shyly slide the pad over to Shane so he could read it.

"Wow, Peggy, this is…" Shane trailed off as his eyes lingered over the words on the page.

"Apathetic?" she suggested. "Uninspiring? Mediocre?"

"No," Shane shook his head. "None of those things. You have a way with words, Peggy, you really do. I can practically _feel_ what you're trying to say."

"Really?" she wrinkled her nose and snatched the notepad back, glancing briefly over the clutter. "I dunno, I'd probably only use a couple of these lines in a song."

"What?" Shane exclaimed, snatching it back. "But this is so amazing! You have to use all of it!"

Peggy blushed and looked down at the table, reaching out and gathering the pad into her arms, clutching it to her chest. "I'll probably use all of it some day. Just not all in the same song. Do you know how many spiral exercise books I have at home practically overflowing with stuff like this? I write down everything that impacts me so I don't forget how it made me feel. And none of it makes any sense, but I record it all so maybe one day I'll think of a melody that is true to the words. That's how I write a song."

Shane just stared at her, and her cheeks darkened considerably under his intense gaze. "Margaret Dupree, you are full of surprises."

"And _**I like to think the best of me is still hiding up my sleeve**_," she grinned, standing and stretching her stiff legs. "I'm taking a break. You coming?"

Shane stood, but shook his head, reaching out and plucking the notebook from Peggy's tight embrace. "You go. Leave this here. Don't show it to anyone from the label."

"Why not?" Peggy looked insulted.

"We're writing for Connect Three, remember?" Shane rolled his eyes. "If they see how good you are, they'll make sure to keep you around to churn out music that they can second guess and pigeonhole until you've practically written our album for us. Hell, all they'd really need me and the guys for would be to stand there and look pretty."

Peggy giggled, but then remembered why he offended her. "So you don't want me to write with you at all?"

"No, Peggy, I can't stop you from doing what you're good at," Shane sighed. "Just… I don't want to see your music turn into Connect Three's same old sound."

"But have you heard of this girl called Peggy Dupree? She's new on the scene. Peggy Dupree hasn't been assigned a sound yet," she grinned, winking at him.

His face contorted in confusion for a split second, before he understood what she meant and mirrored her elated expression. "You're soundless."

"Technically, yeah," Peggy nodded. "And I'm not going to let some overpaid, overweight, overexposed producer tell me how my music should sound."

Shane's chest swelled in pride at her fierce attitude, but an uneasy feeling was brewing in the pit of his stomach.

"It's not easy, Peggy," he warned. "I mean, Nate and Jason and I tried everything in our power to stop our music from going through the meat-grinder, but we lost out in the end. Be careful."

Peggy nodded uncertainly, and opened her mouth as if to ask a question, but decided against it at the last second and snapped it shut again.

"What?" Shane smirked, noticing her odd behaviour.

"Will you help?" Peggy blurted out, and instantly looked mortified.

"Help with what?" Shane asked, scratching his head uncertainly.

"Nothing, forget it," Peggy muttered, turning to leave the room.

"No, tell me!' Shane jumped up and ran around the table to stop her. "What do you want help with?"

"My sound," Peggy sighed, grabbing a lock of hair and twisting it nervously. "Will you help me make sure that it's actually _my_ sound, and not some record label-produced garbage?"

Shane smiled, and her whole body immediately loosened up in relief. The moment he agreed Peggy knew that everything was going to be just fine. It wasn't what she expected, but then again, since when does anything in life ever turn out the way you expect?

* * *

_A/N: Stay tuned for part two._


	2. My Hero

"No, no, no!" screamed her producer Steven from behind the studio glass. "Did you register anything I just told you? More emphasis on the volume, not the pitch!"

"But…" Peggy protested.

"No buts!" Steven howled. "I can just auto-tune you later! Sing it nice and loud!"

Peggy looked as if she was about to burst into tears. It had been a long day in the studio and it seemed like she hadn't been able to do anything right.

"Oh, leave her alone, Steven," an angry voice cut in, and Peggy gave him a weak smile in gratitude.

Shane was curled up in a sofa chair in the back of the room, watching the scene fold out in front of him. Although the label had reluctantly agreed to let Shane co-produce a few of Peggy's first songs, it seemed as if they had only done so to humor the two teenagers. As soon as she entered the sound booth, Steven had sent a resentful Shane to sit as far away from the mixing board as possible and proceeded to ignore him, all the while relentlessly heckling Peggy until she was two inches from tearing her hair out in frustration.

"Look, kid, this is my studio, okay?" Steven sneered. "Around here your snotty little nose doesn't even get wiped without my written consent."

Shane glared at him and slowly got to his feet. "Good. You can explain to the executives why their brand new signed artist hasn't laid down a track yet after five hours."

Peggy felt her knees buckle and weariness overtake all her senses. She'd been in here for five hours? No wonder she was exhausted.

"Yeah, and maybe you can explain to them why your chicky-poo here needs to learn how to follow instructions instead of making goo-goo eyes with you half the time!" Steven retorted.

Peggy's jaw dropped in indignation, and Shane's eyes narrowed. "She wasn't doing that. She's just looking for some support. This is her music, Steven. Let her do it her way."

"Her way isn't cutting the mustard, kiddo," Steven snarled, jabbing at a few buttons on the sound board. "There's no way her shitty little tunes would make it in the real world."

"Well then her shitty little tunes won't be making it at all!" Shane snapped, striding over to the recording booth and wrenching the door open, tugging Peggy out and pulling her towards the exit. She was too tired to protest, and she was enjoying the feeling of Shane's hand in hers far too much to try and fight it off.

"If Peggy can't play her songs her way, then she walks. And Connect Three does too. We've sick of our music being fucked with," Shane hissed. "And we'll make sure everyone knows just who exactly was responsible for losing two of the biggest rising acts in the country. I'm sure with all this hype, our fans aren't going to be happy with us disappearing. Not to mention the investors."

"You wouldn't dare," Steven whispered, loathing twisting all his facial features.

"Try me," Shane replied in a dangerously low voice, storming out of the room with Peggy in his wake, slamming the door behind them.

They practically ran through the halls of the label building until they reached the lobby, where Peggy caved in to her fatigue and collapsed onto a chair.

"You alright?" Shane crouched down in front of her, placing two arms on her shoulders and probing her eyes with a look of concern. "Sorry about that. I said I would help, and I just couldn't stand to see him push you around any longer. Was that okay?"

"More than okay! That was great! You're my hero," Peggy beamed tiredly.

"Well, **_I'm not quite the knight I used to be_**," Shane smiled coyly. "But I'm getting there."

"Was what you said in there true?" Peggy's heart was racing at a million miles per hour, and it wasn't just because of the sudden spurt of physical exercise. "Would you really walk away if I can't keep my sound the way it is?"

"Probably not," Shane shrugged. "But it was worth the bluff. You'll see."

Sure enough, Peggy was assigned a new producer, Cassie, within the hour. Cassie was tough, but fair, and she understood the angle Peggy was coming from. She took Shane's suggestions on board and even let him mix a couple of tracks. She pushed Peggy to sing in the right key until every note was perfect, so her voice wouldn't need any adjustments. And she didn't make the sound of the instruments too over the top or fake. She just used Peggy, her guitar and the truth. And that's all Peggy could have asked from her.

And when Peggy's album was released it was a whirlwind success. Everyone loved the new sound that the label was producing, and as always, wanted more, more, more. So they let Connect Three use a more acoustic, artistic base for their new album. It went double platinum. They went on a headlining tour with Peggy as the opening act, and somewhere in that time, between the secret midnight icecream runs and movie premieres and goofy videos, Shane and Peggy went from a mutual appreciation of each others talents to close friends. It wasn't what either of them expected, but then again, since when does anything in life ever turn out the way you expect?

* * *

_A/N: Part three coming up next._


	3. My Friend

Since Peggy's overnight success, she'd been completely thrown in the deep end. Sure, she'd had lessons in how to stay under the paparazzi radar and avoid questions about her personal life, but living with labels like "Shane Gray's protégée" and "that girl who's always with Connect Three" meant that she had a tougher time going about her daily life than she'd expected. She was trashed in online blogs (_slut/whore/gold-digger_) and harassed by people on the street (_YOU SUCK! TEAM TESS TYLER!_) and her every move was scrutinized by self-appointed critics (_too much make-up, not enough hair product, big nose, small eyes, and she obviously lip-synchs!_)

But she could deal with that. A barbed comment would get under her skin here and there, but Shane was always there to talk her up and out of her slump. What those people thought was irrelevant. They didn't know her. As long as she knew who she was, and those who truly mattered knew she was a good person, then she could deal with whatever lies were thrown at her.

What she couldn't deal with was the truth being rubbed in her face as it was spread out on the pages of a glossy magazine for the entire world to see. When word of her mother's drinking problem was leaked from the rehabilitation clinic she was being treated at, Peggy's life turned into a media circus. She got calls from countless magazines wanting to know if she was available for comment (_a comment, any comment, something we can twist into a shady jumble of words that will raise you up or tear you down. Either way you'll look like a sinner._) And what hurt Peggy the most was that she didn't even know her mom was in rehab. She thought she was in Paris.

Needless to say, when her publicist sprung the news on her without a second thought, prepared with a damage control plan and statement that only needed a signature, Peggy just stopped functioning. Her eyes went blank and her jaw went slack and she stood there, motionless, for a never-ending moment until he escorted her back to her room, where she collapsed onto the bed without even taking her shoes off. The lights flickered out and still she didn't move. She just stared into nothingness and tried to understand why the woman who carried her for nine months and suffered fifteen hours of labor to push her out through her vagina and promised to love her forever and ever would lie to her about something like that.

Minutes, hours, maybe even days later (and yet she couldn't remember any time passing) a crack of light pierced the room as Shane quietly opened the door.

"Pegs?" he whispered into the darkness. "You okay?"

She didn't answer.

"I'm really sorry, Peggy. I know this must be hard on you. And just so you know, I'm here if you need anything," the utmost sincerity in his voice made Peggy's eyes prickle with tears and she felt a lump form in her throat as if she had just swallowed a whole meatball, and the sliver of light got thinner as Shane took her silence to be a negative answer.

"Shane?" she squeaked in a small voice.

"Yeah?" he was at her side immediately.

"Will you just lie down with me for a second?" she mumbled so quietly Shane had to strain himself to hear her.

"What?" he murmured in confusion.

"_**If I lay here, if I just lay here, would you lie with me and just forget the world?**_" she choked through her throat that was congealed with emotion.

And so he did, because she was his friend and she needed him. He didn't ask any questions because he knew she didn't have any answers. But if this was what she needed for him to do, then he would do it because he's a fucking good friend. And they lay there with their arms pressed together, their fingers tightly linked, with Peggy's cheek on Shane's shoulder. He felt his skin tingle as her tears leaked through the fabric of his shirt, the warm moisture seeping into his clothes and his mind and making him desperately wish that there was something more he could do.

But all he could do was lie there with her, holding her hand and being a friend. There was also this tight feeling in his chest, and that drooping sensation in his stomach that one experiences when a plane hits turbulence or sliding headfirst down a waterslide. Shane Gray has had crushes on girls before, hell, he had a crush on Mitchie at that very moment in time, but this was different. It was pitch black, so all he could see was the darkness, all he could feel was Peggy's sweaty hand and her tears on his shoulder, all he could hear was her breath catching as she tried to stifle her sobs. But for some reason, he couldn't think of anywhere else he would rather be.

Having someone who was usually so tough relying on him had made him feel more relevant as a human being that he had ever thought he could be, and he never realised anyone could make him feel like that. It wasn't what he expected, but then again, since when does anything in life ever turn out the way you expect?

* * *

_A/N: Part four is on it's way._


	4. My Confession

Ever since that night, something had changed inside of Peggy. Now she noticed every little act of kindness Shane sent in her direction. Everything he didn't have to do, but did anyway because it would make her happy. Like, he'd always buy her a packet of mint gum if he was going past a grocery store (because he knew how quickly she went through it). Or he'd finish off the hard questions of a couple of her homework assignments (because he'd already done them a couple of years earlier). It was the things that she had previously taken for granted, but now it was like seeing Shane in a whole new light. And he was amazing.

But she wasn't falling for him. No way, because the worst part about all his sweet gestures was she couldn't even get her hopes up. She'd seen Shane kissing Mitchie in the dressing rooms a few weeks beforehand.

Well, actually, Mitchie had been kissing Shane, and what Peggy hadn't seen (after she turned and ran because the she couldn't stand seeing the harsh proof that it would never be her in that situation) was Shane politely declining, telling Mitchie that he didn't harbour those sorts of feelings for her anymore, and that he hoped it wouldn't affect their friendship. He'd gotten a kick in the shins, but was forgiven a little once he'd revealed that he'd unexpectedly fallen for someone else, and he wasn't just jerking Mitchie around.

So in the middle of one of his good deeds (getting pizza without anchovies because Peggy hated them, even though they were his favourite topping), Shane's cell phone beeped, alerting him to a new text message. It was from Mitchie.

_Did you tell her yet?_

Shane grimaced and shook his head at her naivety. He wasn't planning on telling Peggy of his newly acquired outlook of her anytime soon. He had to make the feeling was mutual before he would even consider taking that plunge.

"Who's that?" Peggy mumbled through a mouthful of anchovy-less pizza, observing Shane's pensive expression.

"Mitchie," Shane shrugged, still caught up in his thoughts.

At the mention of Mitchie's name, Peggy's face involuntarily twisted into a scowl. Shane would have been blind not to notice.

"What?" he laughed uncertainly.

"What what?" Peggy snapped, trying to disguise her obvious contempt.

"Why are you frowning?" Shane's facial expression changed from slightly amused to concerned.

"I'm not!' she protested, frowning deeper.

"You are!" he chuckled lightly, reaching out and pushing up her cheeks with his index fingers in an attempt to force a smile onto her face.

Instead of the giggling reaction he expected, Peggy slapped his hands away in annoyance. "Don't, Shane!"

His eyebrows knotted together in confusion. "Don't what?"

"Stop making me feel… just stop," Peggy sighed.

Shane felt his breath catch in his throat and he didn't know why. He leaned forward and whispered in a low voice. "What do I make you feel?"

Peggy glared at him. She felt like he was trying to intrude on her mind and her heart and make her go clinically insane. "I can't tell you."

"Why not?" it was Shane's turn to frown. "I thought we were friends!"

"We are! That's the problem! **_It's getting hard to be around you. There's so much I can't say_**," Peggy sighed. "_**Do you want me to hide the feelings and look the other way?**_"

"Other way? What feelings?" Shane's mind was struggling to process this information all at once. "Pegs, what-?"

"Forget it," she interrupted, dropping her pizza on the plate and taking a deep swig of grape soda.

Shane felt like he had just missed something important, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out what it was.

"No, I won't forget it!" he exclaimed. "What's going on? Are we even still talking about Mitchie?"

"I saw you guys kissing," Peggy snapped abruptly, clenching her fist around her empty soda can and enjoying the feeling of it crumpling under her hold.

Shane's eyes locked with hers and he suddenly felt horribly guilty, even though he had no reason to be. He wanted to deny it outright, but he didn't have any idea where to start. All sorts of excuses and explanations were swirling around in his head, but nothing was coming out of his mouth.

"Oh," was all he managed to breathe out.

Peggy sighed, releasing her demolished soda can, and the clattering sound it made pierced the uneasy silence between them. Shane couldn't remember ever being this uncomfortable in her presence. She stood suddenly and straightened out her clothes, sending a weak smile in his direction.

"Just… don't worry about it, okay?" she sighed, stalking out of his hotel suite just as Nate and Jason were bounding in.

"Hey! I heard there was pizza!" Nate shouted at her.

"Yeah, how come you didn't tell us?" Jason pouted.

She just shot them a withering glare (couldn't they see she had bigger problems to deal with?) and brushed between the two boys into the hall. Jason looked as if someone had shoved snow into the front of his pants and Nate just stared after her in shock.

"What's her deal?" he gaped, turning to Shane. "What did you do?"

"I have no idea," Shane stared at the crushed soda can on the table in front of him.

Did Peggy just declare her feelings for him? Was she jealous of the fact that Mitchie kissed Shane? Or was this some stupid game that she was playing just to torture him? Jesus, if she liked him, why couldn't she just come right out and say it? He wasn't a goddamn mind-reader. At least he had the decency to hide his affections so as not to confuse her with mixed signals or be accused of leading her on. But if she did like (love) him as much as he liked (loved) her, this was too good an opportunity to pass up. If she didn't… well, he just prayed that she did.

"I'll be back," he blurted at Nate and Jason, picking up his guitar case and sprinting out of the room.

Nate and Jason exchanged bewildered glances. "So… pizza?" Jason suggested.

"Yeah, why not? I hope Shane got one with anchovies," Nate licked his lips.

"Dude, you know he wouldn't have. Not if he was sharing it with Peggy," Jason shook his head patronizingly at him.

"God, you're right," Nate groaned, picking up a piece of anchovy-less pizza and shoving it in his mouth disdainfully. "I hate it when he's in love."

Meanwhile, shifting nervously on the balls of his feet outside Peggy's hotel suite, contemplating whether he should knock or not. He knew if he did, things would probably never be the same again. But then again, did he really want thing to stay just as they were?

Making his decision, Shane took a deep breath and reached out to connect his knuckles with the wood of the door, but it swung open under his touch. Peggy hadn't shut her door all the way. Slowly, he made his way into the dark room, trying not to bump into anything and alert her of his presence. But once her left the hall entry, he discovered that she wasn't actually in there at all. The only movement in the room was the flicker of a CSI re-run on the television, and after a quick investigation he discovered she wasn't in the bedroom or bathroom either. He was about to give up and start a search party for her when a slight movement on the balcony caught his attention. He tiptoed over to the open sliding door and finally found Peggy.

She was sitting on a stone bench that overlooked the balcony to the city at their feet. The slight gust of wind plucked at her hair, making it dance through the air. The emotion on her face was hard to describe, and all Shane wanted to do was reach out and smooth away all the creases of worry and apprehension and kiss her eyes and her nose and her chin until she was all better. He could have stood there and watched her for hours. But he figured he would have to say something soon, lest she turn around and catch him in his creepy stalker mode.

"Hey, Peggy?" he called out.

She jumped, her head whipping around. She placed a hand on her heart when she realised it was just him.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered as he inched his way towards her and sat on the opposite end of the bench.

"Look, I'm not sure what just happened, but I need to know what you think of this song. I've been working on it for ages, and it's not finished but I still want you to hear it. I couldn't figure out the right time to play it for you," Shane looked up at her bemused face, and sighed, trying to ignore the fact he felt like his stomach was being eaten from the inside out. "I guess there's no time like the present."

As soon as he struck the first chord, Peggy immediately knew what song he was playing. It was a freaking love song. Out of all the songs in the world, he wanted her to give him an opinion on a love song. A love song he wrote for someone else. As he started to sing, the sincerity of his words made her eyes water up at the fucking irony of it all.

"**_When you look me in the eyes, I catch a glimpse of heaven, I find my paradise_**…" Shane trailed off from the chorus and glanced at Peggy from under his eyelashes for her reaction.

"Wow, Shane. It's beautiful," Peggy sighed, trying to hold back her tears. "Mitchie will love it."

Shane's head snapped up. "I didn't write it for Mitchie."

"What?" Peggy gasped. This was too much. It couldn't be. There must have been some other girl. Some other girl that she didn't know about, even the she was Shane's best friend and would know if he'd been hanging out with mysterious women.

"I said, I didn't write it for Mitchie," Shane spoke evenly, unsure of what sort of reaction this would elicit.

Peggy's heart immediately soared and it took all of her willpower to not fling herself at him. Instead, she whispered quietly "Then who did you write it for?"

Shane just lay down his guitar between them and leaned over it as far as he could go, grinning hesitantly. "You're meant to be the smart one, Pegs. How do you not get this?"

She did get it. She just couldn't allow herself to want it, because she thought he didn't feel the same. But the look in his eyes told her everything she needed to know to give her the courage to lean over the guitar towards him and close the gap between their faces.

They shyly bumped their lips together, at a problematic distance from each other, tasting grape soda and anchovy-less pizza. Shane felt his nose twinge in pain and Peggy's front teeth cut into the back of her lip. It was the farthest possible thing from a perfect first kiss, and they both knew that they just weren't doing it right.

They pulled away and gazed at each other awkwardly, neither of them breathing a word. Shane gulped down the lump building in his throat and shifted his guitar to the ground, sliding closer towards Peggy and sliding his hand around the back of her neck, pulling her back towards him. He felt like his brain was inflating and trying to explode it's way out of his skull, and he couldn't believe he was going back in for second round, but once their lips touched again he knew it was worth it. It wasn't amazing or incredible or anything, but it made their hearts beat in perfect time and it was very nice indeed. It wasn't what either of them expected, but then again, since when does anything in life ever turn out the way you expect?

* * *

_A/N: Keep watching for part five, coming to a city near you!_


	5. My First

Over the course of the next few months, Shane and Peggy took it slow. The tour finished, so they barely got to see each other anymore. She was offered her own headlining tour, Connect Three got a movie deal, and so their lives consisted mainly of work, work, work and absolutely no play. They'd agreed to only tell Nate and Jason about their relationship, because they were the only two people who would be able to guess what was going on anyway. Peggy wished she could tell her father, but she had a hunch that word would spread throughout her extended family, and dear old Grandma Dupree was so old that she often confused the mailman for Vincent Price. Needless to say, she wasn't an ideal secret-keeper.

But every move they made, every look, every hand hold, every kiss, had to be carefully monitored. They became very good at dodging questions about their personal lives. Many speculated over the status of their relationship, but most were just stabs in the dark. Nobody knew the whole story except themselves, and they aimed to keep it that way.

Peggy didn't know if it was love or not. She had always held love in her mind as something celebrated and shared. But whatever she had with Shane only entailed secrets and censorship and she knows it's not supposed to be like this. But _**she slowly swallows all her fears and soothes her mind with lies**_. It won't be that bad. Everything's fine. Nothing's changing. Everything is staying the same. Because nothing would be the same if everything was different. And different scared the crap out of her.

Different took its toll one sunny afternoon when Peggy and Shane decided to go for a drive down to the beach for a swim. They frolicked about in the waves, laughing and splashing each other, but they noticed a few people with cameras and decided to keep the physical interaction to a minimum. As the sun began to set, Shane took Peggy up to the boardwalk, and bought her an icecream, again trying not to get to close too each other. It was insane how some people could interpret a simple friendly gesture as a huge public display of affection.

The light was dimming and there was practically nobody around and Peggy was ranting to Shane about some pop culture interpretation or other. She was just getting into a heated comparison when suddenly he swooped down and pressed his lips to hers. Peggy gasped and pulled away quickly, desperately looking around to see if anyone saw them.

"What are you doing?" she hissed through her teeth.

"Sorry," Shane grinned. "I just felt like kissing you. You're really cute when you get all worked up."

Peggy blushed and shoved his arm lightly. "Shut up. Just be glad nobody saw us."

Shane smiled brazenly and took her hand in his, before glancing over her shoulder and quickly releasing it again.

"Shane, Peggy, how long have you been dating?" a bleary-eyed, stubbly man gushed excitedly, stumbling over to them.

They exchanged horrified glances. "I, um, ah…" they stuttered.

"I got the proof right here!" he crowed, waving a camera in front of them. "That was one sweet kiss!"

"No, it wasn't what it looked like," Shane protested, but the paparazzo's excitement had drawn the attention of some bystanders, many of whom had realised who he was dealing with and had flipped out their cameras and cell phones.

"They're dating!' he boasted gleefully. "They kissed! I've got the pictures! Oh man, I'm going to get some serious coin for these babies!"

"You're a pig!" Peggy spat angrily.

"Peggy, no…" Shane grabbed her arm and attempted to walk her away, but it was too late. Her short fuse had been lit.

"How can you exploit the lives of people to make yourself some money? I am a human being with a right to privacy!" she screeched. "You disgust me!"

"Oh, like you're so different," the paparazzo sneered.

"Excuse me?" Peggy curled up her lip and placed her hand disdainfully on her hip, her entire body language oozing the phrase 'oh no he di'in't.'

"You celebrities think you're so great with all your shmoozy PR talk and mighty high road, but I've got news for you, sweetheart," the paparazzo narrowed his eyes. "You're not."

Peggy raised a single mocking eyebrow, before stalking back in the direction of her car. The sooner she and Shane got out of here, the better.

"Are you still singing because you love it, or because you're getting paid for it?" the paparazzo shouted after her.

She ignored him, but the question ate away inside of her and the wheels in her head started turning. She realised actually wasn't enjoying singing anymore. She only performed now because she was obligated to. She hadn't written a song in months. She drove back to Shane's in a stony silence, moodily contemplating this revelation, while he sat uncomfortably beside her, talking quietly into his cell phone. She could tell it was about her, from his nondescript, monosyllabic grunts to his nervous glances at her out of the corner of his eyes.

As they pulled up outside his apartment block, they were met by a barrage of media hounds, with cameras and microphones all set up and ready for their impending slaughter. Peggy swore under her breath.

"Let's just go to Jason's…" Shane began, but she had already floored the gas pedal, honking the horn at the really keen paparazzi attempting to block the entrance to the underground parking.

They scrambled, and suddenly the world was a disco ball of blinking lights, blinding Peggy as she entered the driveway. She could hear people screaming questions at her, but it was all just a buzz of noise through the car windows. Shane was yelling too, but she wasn't sure if it was at her, or at the people outside. All she wanted to do was get the hell inside the building.

"Fuck!" she shrieked, as soon as she was in the comfort and safety of Shane's apartment. "I fucking hate them!"

"You know we could have just gone to Jason's a couple of blocks away, right?" Shane scowled.

"Oh, like there wouldn't be scum hanging around there too," Peggy sneered, kicking her shoes off as hard as she could.

"And now they probably think we're up here doing all sorts of nasty, too," Shane groaned.

"So what's stopping us?" Peggy grinned rebelliously, suddenly throwing herself at him, tugging at the buttons of his shirt and shrugging off the straps of her dress.

"Are you being serious?" he gasped, pulling her off his face like a suction cap, and instead gently taking her hand in his.

She didn't know why she wanted this so bad. Things hadn't really been going her way lately, and she just wanted to lash out and do something out of the ordinary, something unexpected. It basically came down to needing something to shake her foundations and make her do _something_.

"Do you love me?" Peggy demanded.

"W-What?" Shane coughed.

"Don't fuck with me, Shane. You know what I said," she dug her fingernails into the back of his hand and he tried not to cringe.

"I don't know, okay? Does it really matter right now?" he asked exasperatedly.

"Of course it matters!" she gushed, pressing her lips to his once more.

"That's not what I meant," he frowned, pulling away. "What has gotten into you?"

"Nothing," whispered Peggy seductively, tugging at the zipper of his jeans. "But I know what I'd like to have in me."

"Okay, hold up," Shane chuckled as he deflected her hands away from his groin. "Road rage? Innuendo? Who are you and what have you done with Margaret Dupree?"

"Maybe tonight **_I want to be somebody else, 'cause I'm getting tired of myself_**," Peggy sighed, backing away from him and sitting down on the edge of his couch.

Shane bit his lip. "Are you trying to invent a 'whole new you' or some crap? Because personally, I love you exactly the way you are."

Peggy's met his gaze in shock and delighted surprise. "Really? So you do love me?"

Shane looked just as taken aback as she was, but slowly an understanding smile spread over his face. "Yeah, I guess I do."

"So if you really love me, you'll help me do this," Peggy got to her feet and linked her arms around his neck. "I'm not trying to reinvent myself. I'm trying to… upgrade."

"You don't need an upgra-" Shane protested, only to be cut off as Peggy kissed him fiercely.

"Fine then, if you love me, you'll want to be with me the same way I want to be with you," Peggy hissed, nibbling on his lower lip.

Shane was pitting his animalistic urges against his common sense. The girl he loved was basically offering herself up on a platter, but he wasn't sure if it was for the reasons he wanted. Plus the fact that their record deals, their career, their entire future was based on their image. Their pure, wholesome image. Neither of them had publicly confirmed their views on sex before marriage, so technically they wouldn't be lying. But he'd feel like a fraud. He'd always believed in waiting until the right time with the right person.

The right person was standing right of front of him, her dark eyes burning into his, he knew that much. But as for the right time? Well, his body was screaming 'yes, yes, yes', but his mind was telling him that these were not the circumstances to lose one's virginity. Not while something was obviously troubling Peggy. Shane sighed, and placed his hands on his shoulders, ready to push her away and face her wrath.

But sensing Shane was about to turn her down, Peggy leaned forward and kissed his neck right underneath his ear. "I love you too, you know," she breathed.

Whatever was left of Shane's self-control evaporated after that. He let her pull him down onto the couch, clothing was shed, and soon enough everything was different. It wasn't what either of them expected, but then again, since when does anything in life ever turn out the way you expect?

* * *

_A/N: Part six is nearly ready for launch._


	6. My Misery

Peggy absolutely hated what her life had become. She was forced out of birthday parties and family reunions and because she had contractual obligations halfway across the world that just couldn't (wouldn't) be rescheduled. She had at least 10 photographers camped outside her house every goddamn day of the week. She couldn't go anywhere or do anything without thousands of people passing judgement. Some of the things these people said made her want out of the entertainment industry, out of her contracts, out of her life so she could run and hide in a hole and never have to see the light of day again.

The only sign of light in this black hole that had become her life was Shane. And she couldn't even love him without everyone making a big fucking deal about it.

The consequence of sleeping with Shane for the first time was a humiliating conference with the head of their label, as he admonished the both of them for breaching the 'morality clause' in their contracts. You weren't supposed to have romantic inter-label relationships (although that didn't stop Tess Tyler from dating nearly every new boy band that entered the building, but it's okay because she wears a purity ring) The pictures of them kissing had leaked, and the tabloids were in a frenzy about how Peggy had spent the night at his apartment, only to do the walk of shame in the morning by leaving in the same clothes, with an obvious post-coital glow about her.

Peggy knew that if she had read the fine print she never would have signed her entire life away. All she wanted to do was play her music. And she did at first, but when she wanted to diversify, mature as an artist, the record label gave her little to no wiggle room. She began to understand why Shane was sent to Camp Rock, but she didn't have that sort of outlet for her anger. So instead she transformed it into sexual frustration and manipulated Shane into having sex with her to make her feel like she was doing something right in her life.

Shane. What would he say? What would he want to do? Peggy desperately wished at this time that she had female best friend. Shane was her regular go-to guy, but there was no way in hell she could go to him first for this. She needed neutral territory. Someone who could remain calm and help her think through her options. Because as much as she wanted to, she couldn't ignore her misery forever. She knew herself, and if she kept all her emotions bottled up, she'd only lash out at the people trying to help her.

But who could possibly help? She hadn't made an effort to keep in contact with Tess after Camp Rock, and she had the feeling if she came clean to Ella she'd end up having to explain about the birds and the bees. She had never been all that close to Mitchie or Caitlyn. She was perched on the edge of her bed, her knees pulled into her chest, frantically scrolling through her contact list on her cell when her doorbell rang. With shaking legs. she stood up and rubbed them to get the blood flowing back into them, before stumbling out of the bedroom to answer the door.

"Surprise!" chuckled a voice from behind a huge arrangement of orchids.

"Shane?" Peggy peered around the bouquet to see her boyfriend grinning back at her. "What is all this?"

"I came to tell you the good news," Shane burbled excitedly. "You and Connect Three were both signed on this new charity music tour! How awesome is that?"

"Shane, I don't really want think I can…" she bit her lip hesitantly

"What do you mean? This is such a great opportunity for you, and think of all the great publicity! And you'll get to hang out with us and a bunch of other bands-"

"I quit!" she blurted out, cutting him off mid-ramble.

"What?" Shane furrowed his brow and took a step backwards in confusion.

"I'm quitting. I hate my life. I quit," she threw her hand in the air and collapsed backwards onto her sofa.

"W-Why? Have I done something wrong?" Shane's frowned in trepidation and tentatively sat down next to her.

"No, Shane, you haven't done anything. It's just this life… this is not what I wanted," she whimpered.

"It's just not what you expected," Shane patted her arm sympathetically. "It'll get better. And you can't quit now, anyway. You're under contract."

"Fuck contracts!" she exploded. "Fuck the label and fuck my fans and fuck you, Shane! I'm tired of being treated like a product and not a person!"

Shane opened his mouth angrily protested, but the impact of her words hit him and he slowly closed it again.

"See, you know its true!" she hissed. "I can't do this anymore! I can't live like this! I'm suffocating to death as some corporate puppet! They've taken away the only thing in my life that I truly love and twisted it into some perverted cash cow so I can't even enjoy it anymore! I'm sick of being cyber-bashed, I'm sick of being stalked by leeches with cameras, I'm sick of it all!"

"Oh, come on! You knew this is what would happen, Peggy," Shane shook his head. "You knew what you were getting into."

"You think I would have signed up for this if I knew what it was like?" she choked out. "Do you honestly think I've enjoyed being a doormat for most of my life? But then I won Final Jam and I thought everything was going to be different. People would see me for me, not just as someone in the background. And sure, everyone can see me now, but they're not seeing _me_. All everyone is seeing is some glorified doormat who does what she's told when she's told."

"You're not a doormat," Shane spoke reassuringly, reaching out and stroking her arm soothingly.

"Then what am I?" Peggy glared at him so coldly Shane swore the room temperature dropped by a few degrees.

"I don't know, but this? Quitting? This isn't you, Peggy," Shane spoke softly, trying not to flare her temper again.

"How can you know so much about _who I am_ when I don't even know? God, Shane, _**it's almost like you had it planned. It's like you smiled and took my hand and said, 'Hey, I'm about to screw you over, big time!**_"

"Is that what you think I'm doing? Screwing you over?" Shane didn't even try to disguise the hurt on his face.

"Shane…" Peggy sighed guiltily. "It's not-"

"Fine! Then quit! Go! See if I care!" Shane interrupted callously as her stood up, and Peggy's face fell.

"See if you do," she said as she stormed towards her bedroom, her voice lower that a whisper. How dare he act as if he didn't care about her, what they had together?

"Don't, Peggy," he sighed, grabbing her arm. "I'm sorry. I do care."

"If you cared, then you'd want what I want!" she turned on him, voice shaking. "Shouldn't you want what's best for me?"

"I know I should," he pouted. "But I can't. I don't want you to go, Pegs. I want you to stay here with me because you're honest to god my best friend and I don't think I can do this without you."

"I'm sorry, Shane, but I just can't anymore," she sighed, falling into his embrace. "I can't do it."

"So… what does this mean for us?" Shane took her shoulders and pulled Peggy away from him, not roughly, but enough to make her feel like he didn't want her to touch him.

"I honestly have no idea," she bit her lip, a little offended.

"Because you know you can't just drop out of the spotlight just like that," he clicked his fingers and stared at her patronizingly. "Especially not dating me."

"I know, okay? Can we just take this one step at a time?" she huffed, running her fingers through her hair.

"Okay, fine. Step one. Once you've 'quit'" Shane used his fingers as quotation marks, "what exactly do you plan to do?"

"Anything! I'll probably go back to New York and apply for colleges and…" Peggy trailed off as she realised that was the extent of her strategy.

"And then what? Forget about me?" Shane scowled.

"No, Shane, I could never forget about you! How could you say that?" she covered her heart with her hand and looked at him beseechingly.

"You're leaving me," Shane crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Shane, please, this isn't about you. I'm leaving because I don't want to live this life anymore. You're probably the one thing that I want to stay the same."

"But it won't be the same, will it? If I'm loving you from hundreds of miles away, will you still be able to feel it?"

Peggy reached out and stroked his cheek, feeling the graze of stubble beneath her fingertips. "Of course I will. But if I stay here, I'll still be harassed and focused on, and I'm just going to end up resenting you for it. It's just going to be this huge wedge between us that is going to keep driving us apart, Shane."

"That's not exactly the biggest vote of confidence in our relationship," he sighed, taking her hand away from his face and holding it lightly.

"Do you think we can make it work long distance?" Peggy took a step towards him desperately, as if that would answer all the questions swirling around in her brain.

"I hope so," Shane whispered, squeezing her hang tighter.

"Well, hoping isn't going to get us anywhere," she sniped, yanking her hand away. "_**We were meant to live for so much more. Have we lost ourselves?**_"

"You know what? You're right. Do you even want to stay with me?" he snapped.

This was why she hated fighting with Shane. He knew her so well that he could call her every bluff.

"Of course I do! I love you!" she narrowed her eyes.

"Yeah, well, you've got a funny way of showing it," Shane sulked. "I can't believe you're leaving."

"Oh, for fuck's sake! If you're going to make this all about you, don't bother. For the last time, this is about me. I'm miserable. I haven't written a song in ages, and I'm not the girl I used to be. I'm the one who wants to leave this life behind. You can either support me or guilt trip me, but only one of those choices is going to make a difference."

"Then maybe I don't want to make a difference," Shane scowled, "if you're not the same girl I fell in love with."

"Shane, just leave, okay? I don't think I can be in the same room as you right now," Peggy was completely overwhelmed by how her relationship went from perfectly fine to torn to shreds in a matter of minutes. She didn't know what Shane would say about her decision, but she certainly wasn't expecting that.

"Fine," he spat, turning on his heel and storming out of her apartment.

The slam of the door reverberated in her brain and Peggy sunk to the floor, clutching her hair. What had just happened? Had they broken up, or was the just a massive fight? She didn't think she'd be able to forgive him for some of the things he said. She didn't think he'd be able to forgive her for leaving either. And like Shane said, if they couldn't get over those little bumps, then how much strength did they really have as a couple?

Peggy didn't know how long she sat on her shag rug for, but she was dimly aware of the door opening and soft footsteps padding towards her. Her visitor crouched down beside her and held out a fresh new exercise pad and her guitar that she left at Shane's place. She looked up to see the man himself smiling forlornly at her, but her mouth was so dry that she couldn't form any words.

"Do what you think is right," he whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek before walking out of the room, shutting the door gently behind him.

She broke. Everything that had been bottled up inside her came out and she wrote and wrote until her hand was numb and covered in smudged ink and she'd filled up half the note book with her musings. Only looking back on it did she notice the spots where the writing seemed blurry and realise she'd been crying the whole time.

* * *

_This is so crap, I'm sorry. I really want to get this story over and done with, and there's only one more one-shot to go. Part seven in 3, 2, 1…_


	7. My Redemption

"Shane?" the tall, dark haired woman with smooth, coffee skin gasped.

Shane looked up sharply from the Jamba Juice napkin he was signing to meet her eyes, and he choked on his saliva. "Peggy?"

"Hi!" she smiled warmly at him, and he shoved the napkin and sharpie back into the young fan's hands before engulfing her in a hug.

"Oh my god, I haven't seen you in so long!" he exclaimed, and she laughed into his chest.

He never realised how much he'd missed hearing that laugh. He also realised she'd stopped laughing long before she'd flown back to New York the year before last.

"I know, it's been a long time," she pulled away and looked up at him with those dark brown eyes that he used to lose himself in. "How've you been?"

"Great, yeah, really good," he nodded, motioning for her to sit down with him. Once they were seated he leaned forward excitedly. "And you? How's Julliard?"

"Oh, Shane, it's amazing," Peggy sighed wistfully. "I'm studying Vocal Arts, I really want to graduate with honors. It's so hard, but so worth it."

"So… it was the right decision, then?" Shane bit his lip and wondered if it was too soon to dive into this conversation.

Peggy's bright demeanour faltered as the memory of the day they said their goodbye's surfaced in her mind. "Without a doubt."

"Okay," Shane nodded dejectedly, propping his elbow up on the table and resting his chin in his hand.

"Shane, look," Peggy began, but Shane stopped her with a wave of his hand.

"Don't worry about, seriously. If you're happy, then I'm happy."

Peggy reached out and took his free hand cautiously. "Thanks, Shane. That means a lot."

He looked down at her fingers that lay across his wrist, and he had an overwhelming desire to hold them like he used to. Pulling his hand away and avoiding the hurt look in her eyes, he asked the question that had been tormenting him for two years. "Did you ever… forget?"

She grasped at the edge of the table until her knuckles turned white. "Never," she croaks.

"Me neither," Shane looked up at her with a hint of relief in his eyes.

"That's not what I heard," Peggy smirked to disguise her contempt. "What about that blonde country singer about six months back?"

"Rumor," Shane shrugged, taking a sip out of his juice and staring at her, like he was challenging her to go further.

"And the reality TV actress?" she pressed.

"I bumped into her backstage _one time_, and suddenly everyone thinks we're an item," he rolled his eyes.

"What about that pop tartlet, the one that always gets bad press, what's her name? Mikayla?" Peggy glared at him, daring him to deny it.

Shane beckoned her to come closer, and she leaned in apprehensively. "Nate's tapping that."

"Shut up!" Peggy squealed in laughter, covering her mouth when she realises she's drawing attention to herself.

"Yeah, I haven't seen anyone else since…" Shane trailed off and Peggy knew exactly what he meant. "What about you?"

"No. I left my heart behind in California," Peggy bit down on her lip and avoided his eyes. Which was a pity, because she missed the falsh of delight that passed over his features.

"Oh," was all he said, reaching out and take the hand that he objectionably abandoned away earlier.

"What happened to us?" Peggy sighed, looking up at the man in front of her, who seemed to have changed so much, but at the same time not at all.

"Life happened," Shane shrugged. "People change. We grew so close and drifted so far apart that we were just looking for the flaws in each other to make it seem like it wasn't our fault. But in the end _**the finger of blame turned upon itself**_ and we just couldn't accept that we were ending. So we tore each other apart."

Peggy stared at him incredulously. "Wow, you've really thought about that a lot haven't you?"

"Only because I didn't understand why I was losing you," Shane sighed. "I had to find a way to explain it to myself in my own terms."

"You never lost me," Peggy protested. "I though I was the one losing you!"

"It doesn't matter now anyway," he frowned, shrugging uncomfortably and releasing her hand.

"Is that your excuse for everything now? 'Doesn't matter'?" Peggy bit out furiously.

"Yes, it is!" Shane snarled. "Seriously, what's the point in trying so hard?"

"Because nothing that's worth having comes easy, Shane," she frowned at him guiltily, knowing she was the one who caused all this cynicism.

"I tried so hard for you," he muttered, digging his fingernails into his palms.

"I know. And I was so caught up in myself and getting my life back that I didn't try as much as I should have. That's why I ended it," Peggy struggled to hold back the tears that were surfacing.

"Because you didn't want to try anymore?" Shane looked up at her and she had never seen anyone look so affronted.

"Because it wasn't fair to you! _**You'd give**_ _**anything to get what's fair, but fair **_isn_**'t what you really need**_ed. You needed something that was more than I could give."

They sat in an uncomfortable silence for a few more seconds, before Shane cleared his throat.

"You know I've never felt more physically sick when I saw your plane leave and having no idea if I was ever going to see you again," he confessed.

Peggy nodded. She had felt exactly the same way as she left him behind at the terminal. "But you did see me again. I'm here now!"

"Yeah, what are you doing here, by the way?" Shane smiled in bemusement as to why this thought hadn't occurred to him before.

"Well, Jamba Juice has the best Mango-a-go-go's as far as I'm concerned," she shrugged with a teasing grin on her face.

"No, here as in Los Angeles," Shane chuckled.

"I, um, actually have a meeting with some record label executives. They're interested in buying some of my songs and relocating me back to LA once I graduate from school," Peggy glanced at her watch. "And on that note, I should go and get something to eat so I'm not late. I'm sorry, Shane, but I gotta go."

"Okay, cool, that's really awesome, Peggy," Shane couldn't hide his disappointment, but at the same time, he was genuinely glad for her success.

She stood up and collected her bag, slinging it over her shoulder. She hesitated for a spilt second before deciding that a small hug wouldn't go astray, so she leant down and curled her arms around Shane's shoulders, and she felt him stiffen before his hands slid around her waist. Peggy didn't know what came over her, but without even realising it she had tilted her head to the side and pressed her lip gently against his cheek. But as soon as she realised what she had done, she gasped and pulled away abruptly.

"I… I… I'll see you round, kay?" she stuttered, turning on her heel and getting ready to walk away as fast as humanly possible.

But Shane's hand had shot our and his fingers has encircled her wrist desperately, stopping her in her tracks.

"Do you think that one day, we could go back to how we were before? Could we ever fall in love again?" He knew he was being forward, but at this point he didn't care. He needed to know if she still felt even a fraction of the way she used to.

"You never know," Peggy patted his shoulder empathetically and headed towards the door. "All it takes is one step in the right direction,"

"Hey, Peggy?" Shane called after her retreating back. "Do… do you want to go out to lunch with me?"

She raised her eyebrows and looked back over her shoulder. "On a date or as friends?"

"Does it really matter?" he sighed, repeating his earlier mantra.

She paused, before grinning and extending her hand towards him. "No."

He returned her smile and grasped her hand, linking his fingers with her and leading her out of the store, on their way to lunch without really knowing what they were, but knowing who they were. And as long as they were together, as friends or as lovers, that's all that really mattered. It wasn't what either of them expected, but then again, since when does anything in life ever turn out the way you expect?

* * *

_All of these chapters were actually meant to be written at the same time and then posted all together, but I got lazy and impatient, and then forgot about it. Whoops.  
So I know it's not what was supposed to happen, I didn't really follow the rules, but it's finished now and it took me forever so I really hope you like it! __**Reviews**__ would be lovely!_


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